Reflecting on the days when recordings of Tartini were rare I
still feel that any new release of his music is cause for celebration.
Here we have from the Italian independent label Dynamic a two
disc set of eleven violin concertos; eight of which are claimed
world premičre recordings.
L’Arte
dell’Arco is a Padua-based period instrument chamber ensemble,
founded in 1994 by baroque violinists Federico and Giovanni
Guglielmo; who rotate directorship duties. This release forms
part of their Dynamic project to record the complete violin
concertos by Tartini. L'Arte dell'Arco varies its number of
personnel depending on the demands of each programme. It ranges
from a small string trio to a thirty member orchestra. On this
release L'Arte dell'Arco are trimmed down to a ten and eleven
piece chamber orchestra. On this project the players have studied
Tartini’s original manuscripts; which still remain largely unpublished.
Any missing sections in the manuscript scores have been completed
by harpsichordist Nicola Reniero.
From
my experience the early pioneering interpretations of baroque
music in general, using period-instruments, were dictated primarily
by the severe limitations of their instruments. Consequently,
performance style often came across as technically mechanical,
rather lacklustre, frequently insipid and even sterile. There
is now a group of outstanding specialist period-instrument ensembles
that have come to prominence on the late-baroque scene in the
last dozen or so years. This generation of period-instrument
ensembles have successfully improved their technical proficiency
and this has in turn permitted a much freer and more fluent
interpretative approach. L’Arte dell’Arco under Giovanni Guglielmo
is one of the finest specialist period-instrument ensembles
performing today.
Printed
editions of Tartini’s scores from his lifetime are rare and
it is extremely difficult accurately to determine the age of
these undated manuscript scores. Relying principally on stylistic
characteristics the Greek musicologist Minos Dounias believes
that the eleven violin concertos featured here belong to the
second period of Tartini’s compositional activity; from around
1735-50. Music writer Danilo Prefumo in the booklet writes:
“These are perfectly balanced works, in which the composer
from Pirano d’Istria, now in his full stylistic and instrumental
maturity, gives free rein to his fantasy in a consolidated formal
context, now enriched by nuances of the nascent style galant
and by the sapid contributions of Milanese symphonic writing.”.
In
these scores Tartini demonstrates that he has shrewdly succeeded
in making his living close to the highly influential city of
Venice without being overtly influenced by the approach of the
school of Vivaldi and other Venetian violin/composers. Tartini’s music often displays a deeper soul.
Particularly successful are Tartini’s
beautiful slow movements. They frequently plumb real emotional
depths and display a meditative and intense passion, yet still
maintaining grace and dignity.
Most
notably on the first disc I enjoyed the somewhat whimsical character
of the Concerto in C Major, D 7 with the contrasting seriousness
of the central Andante. The opening Allegro of the
Concerto in D Major, D 28 has a distinctly martial quality,
a pensive Largo and an elegant dance-like closing movement
Allegro. Much admired, the Concerto in G Major,
D 78 contains a showy opening Allegro and in the celebrated
Largo Andante ‘Se per me’ L'Arte dell'Arco conveys
an absorbing serenity. Galant in style, the Concerto
in D Major, D 34 delivers a stately opening. There is a meditative
slow movement marked Grave and an imaginative closing movement
Allegro. In the Concerto in A Major, D 103 the players
establish a relaxing mood in the slow movement Grave with
an airy interpretation of the Allegro assai.
The
second disc also has many highlights including the fresh and lively
opening Allegro assai in the Concerto in A Major,
D 102. In the Concerto in F Major, D 68 the players communicate
a meditative slow Andante and a delightful closing Presto.
In the Concerto in A Major, D 107 the slow movement
titled ‘Se per me sentite amore’ (If you feel love for
me) is a moving love letter in music. I found the Allegro
assai, finale to have an understated martial character
perhaps fitting for a ceremonial occasion in court. In the Concerto
in D Major, D 33 the Padua-based players seemingly relish
a meditative and deeply emotional slow movement. A light and breezy
Allegro concludes the score. In the Concerto in F Major,
D 65 a dancing Allegro is followed by a highly ornamented
slow movement marked Grave and an amusing Presto ends
proceedings. The final score is the Concerto in D Major,
D 31 with its rhythmic opening Allegro. L'Arte dell'Arco
make the most of the melancholic quality of the Andante
and there’s an appealingly breezy Allegro assai movement
to conclude the score.
The
Dynamic engineers have closely caught the Padua players a touch
too much for my taste. I also found the sound rather dry and
slightly metallic. Booklet essays provided by Danilo Prefumo
and Nicola Reniero are interesting and informative. Although
playing different Tartini violin concertos to those contained
on this Dynamic set there are two superbly performed and recorded
discs that I can strongly recommend from 2001 and 2003 respectively
in Budapest, on Hungaroton HCD 32045 and HCD 32234. Using period-instruments
baroque violinist László Paulik and the Orfeo Orchestra under
the direction of György Vashegyi give landmark performances
that made me see Tartini in a new light. The Hungaroton recordings
provide an outstanding demonstration of how Tartini’s music
can really delight and sparkle; displaying a wide range of tone
colours. To be candid, although enjoyable, this Dynamic recording
from L'Arte dell'Arco is not to the same elevated standard.
Michael Cookson
Notes:
Violin soloists
on concertos:
Giovanni Guglielmo
D 34; D 103; D 107; D 33; D 31
Federico Guglielmo
D 28; D 78; D 102
Carlo Lazari D
7; D 28; D 68; D 65
Claimed world
premiere recordings:
D 7; D 103; D 102;
D 68; D 107; D 33; D 65; D 31
L’Arte dell’Arco/Giovanni
Guglielmo
